Morning, Tuesday, 17th March 2026
Online
This conference will consider next steps for the UK’s international research partnerships, including priorities for policy, funding and talent mobility, as well as the geopolitical context shaping collaboration.
Sustaining research networks
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to assess how the UK can sustain and expand its global research networks, taking into account changing international dynamics alongside domestic policy developments, such as support for R&D investment in the 2025 Spending Review and the Industrial Strategy targeting AI, life sciences and clean energy as key growth sectors.
Delegates will also discuss implications of the UK’s reassociation with Horizon Europe and what more is needed to consolidate and expand its role in European and global research frameworks. Those attending will consider concerns and uncertainty surrounding the UK’s practical involvement in Horizon Europe, such as participation in some collaborative calls and the impact this has on collaboration and institutional planning.
There will also be a focus on visa reform outlined in the Immigration White Paper and their potential impact on international attractiveness and researcher mobility, with concerns from some that high costs and the complexity of the immigration system remains a barrier for international researcher recruitment and mobility.
Delegates will examine strategies for fostering equitable research partnerships with lower and middle-income countries, including frameworks for collaboration that support training, capacity-building, and shared ownership of outcomes.
Mitigating risk & approaches for optimising benefits
Attendees will consider how to balance open collaboration with security and compliance considerations, including implications of strengthened due diligence protocols for partnerships with key research powers. Further discussion will assess the future for interdisciplinary and high-risk, long-term international collaborations, and approaches to ensure benefits to both scientific progress and wider societal outcomes.
Governance & funding
Further sessions explore options for policy frameworks and funding mechanisms that can effectively support agile, resilient partnerships that contribute to UK science excellence and innovation priorities in the Industrial Strategy. The increasing focus on research specialisation and its potential implications for funding allocations in the recent Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper will also be discussed, as well as how inflation-adjusted tuition fees and maintenance loans may impact university financial planning and international research strategies.
Discussion will look at how universities, regional research institutions and delivery partners are responding to expectations around programme delivery, simplification reforms and long-term capability. Additional topics include the evolving use of lead agency and co-funding models, and issues around institutional responsibilities, research governance and opportunities aligned with national policy priorities.
Overview of areas for discussion
- policy priorities and strategic direction:
- role of Horizon Europe, the International Science Partnerships Fund and regional partnership initiatives - implications for UK scientific standing - support for long-term, regionally rooted international partnerships
- global engagement and collaboration:
- balancing research openness with strengthened UK security protocols - effects of due diligence measures on partnerships with major science nations
- managing geopolitical risk while safeguarding collaboration
- equitable international partnerships:
- response to new guidance on TNE and development cooperation - supporting capacity-building with LMIC institutions - ensuring UK leadership rests on mutual benefit
- research talent and workforce: barriers to researcher mobility and retention - impacts of visa reforms, costs and continuity concerns - UK competitiveness in the global race for talent
- innovation and research leadership:
- effects of global partnerships on IP and commercialisation - implications of emerging global AI partnerships and lead agency models
- connecting research to industrial and economic outcomes
- institutional capacity and delivery: Horizon simplification reforms - delivery expectations for universities and regional partners - UK positioning for Framework Programme 10 and beyond
- risk management and oversight: new security protocols and alerts - possible consequences for international collaboration - approaches to managing partnership risk thresholds
- measuring impact and value: tracking effectiveness across regional, national and global levels - defining success for decentralised R&D - UK influence in future international frameworks
